Guest blog post by volunteer Jackie Wragg
A crucial part of any conservation effort is public engagement. Over the summer I have volunteered with Moors for the Future Partnership to aid them in this effort. Is my motivation totally selfless? Not at all. Although I take great fulfilment from raising awareness and inspiring people to value the habitats and rally for the cause it isn’t the only benefit. It’s the invaluable experience to hopefully lead me into my future career in a rewarding role in conservation. This experience is the key to my dream job!
Comma butterfly photograped at Longshaw Estate |
The unaccommodating yet spendid Green Leafhopper! |
Over the summer Moors for the Future Partnership performed a
“takeover” of the Moorland Discovery Centre at the Longshaw Estate every
Thursday. Volunteering here gave me the opportunity to set up and run a range
of activities many of which were aimed at engaging children in the different
species that can be found in our local uplands.
The staff are so appreciative
of the help and keen to listen to new ideas and put them into practise. The
chance to be part of a team setting up an engaging experience for members of
the public is something I would not have access to without volunteering. Not to
mention the chance to take children out on a bug hunt in the surrounding area
and the opportunity for a spot of wildlife photography at the same time. I have
developed a serious obsession with getting the perfect picture of the beautiful
yet unaccommodating Green Leafhopper (Cicadella
viridis) thanks to seeing so many of them during my time at the Moorland
Discovery Centre. They’re so quick it’s almost impossible to capture their
splendidness on camera!
In addition to this “Bogfest”; an event I was truly proud to
be a part of. I was chosen to provide a port-of-call for visitors to this
international gathering in partnership with the IUCN at the Moors for the
Future Stall. This was a fantastic opportunity to network with people working
within the field and also provided some experience of working to engage
different audiences such as professionals and landowners. I intend to do much more volunteering for Moors for the Future. There is no doubt that people who volunteer are valued greatly and I look forward to more events where I can be a part of the Moors for the Future mission.